Gun-equipped aeroplane



Aug. 28, 1923. 1,466,143

s. MOTTA GUN EQUIPPED AEROPLANE Fi y 31. 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 I ksazmm/vozm.

/ I 4 NVENTOR wrruzsses: ATTORNEY Aug. 28, 1923.

1,466,143 5. Mo'rTAL v GUN EQUIPPED AEROPLANE Filed y 31. 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Aug. 28 1923. 1,466,143 s. MOTTA GUN EQUI PPED AEROPLANE File y 51. 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR WITNESSES, ATYORNEY Patented Aug. 28, 1923.

UNITED STATES SALVATORE MOTTA, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

GUN-EQUIPPED AEROPLANE.

Application filed Kay 31, 1921. Serial No. 473,730.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SALVATORE Mor'rA, a subject of the King of Ital residing at New York, in the county of eW York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Gun-Equipped Aeroplanes, of which the following is a specification.

The general object of my present invention is the provision of an aeroplane embodying equipment whereby a heavy gun ma be handled to advantage.

ther objects and practical advantages of the invention will be fully understood from the following description and claim when the same are read in connection with the drawings, accompanying and forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a general view in front elevation of an aeroplane constructed and equipped in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a lan view of the same.

Figure 3 is a etail side elevation illustrative of a portion of the fuselage or body of the aerolpane provided with my improveinents.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail horizontal sbction illustrative of the arrangement of the platform on which the heavy gun is carried.

Figures 5 and 6 are views of details hereinafter explicitly referred to.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the views of the drawings.

In furtherance of my invention the fuselage or body 1 of the aeroplane is provided at its forward end and about and in front of a pilots house 2-with a p'row-like shield 3. which is shaped as shown, in order to offer a minimum amount of resistance to the wind, and is designed to afford adequate protection to the pilot of the aeroplane while enabling him to see through the glazed openings 4. It will be observed in this connection that the shield 3 reaches rearwardly to points at opposite sides of the pilot house. The said pilot house 2 is designed to accommodate two persons, and is preferably rovided at its back with an opening through which the said persons may communicate with facility with the crews or at-. tendants of a large gun and a plurality of machine guns, the location of which will hereinafter be explicity pointed out.

Located on the fuselage or body 1 and in rear of the house 2 is a lattice-work or skeleton frame 5 of aluminum or other suitable material on which is suitably fixed a platform 6 bearing a circular track 7. Fixed within and in spaced and parallel relation to the circular track 7 is an arcuate rack 8, and pivotally mounted at 9 to swing in a circle is a gun platform 10 having at its ends trucks 11 provided with flanged wheels 12 or other suitable anti-friction elements designed to bear and travel on the track 7.

Carried by the platform 10,-Figures 4 and 5, is a standard 13, and journaled' iii said standard is a horizontal shaft 14 having a spur gear 15 intermeshed with the rack 8,-whereby. rotation of the shaft 14 will be attended. byswinging of the platform 10 about its center. This provision manifestly will enable the crew of the heavy gun to direct the same toward any point, of the compass. For the convenient rotation of the shaft 14 by a member of the heavy gun crew, I provide the said shaft at its inner end .with a miter gear 16 with which is intermeshed a miter gear 17 on an upright shaft 18. This latter is provided at its upper end with a miter gear 19 intermeshed with a miter gear 20 on a horizontal shaft 21 which latter is provided at its outer end with a crank disk or hand wheel 22. Manifestly by rotating the said crank or wheel 22 a member of the gun crew is enabled to exert considerable leverage and thereby turn the gun platform 10 about its axis with the expenditure of but little effort. The standard 13 is preferably of easing type as shown to protect the driving connections. The platform 10 is provided with rails 23 arranged in parallelism, Figure 4, and extending in the direction of the length of said platform. Superimposed upon the said rails 23 is a carriage 24, equipped with wheels 25 and 25 which bear on and under the rails 23 Figure 6. The wheels 25 serve to hold the carriage down upon the rails 23 with the result that there is no liability of the carriage being displa ed from the rails either by the movements of the aeroplane or by the shock and jar that attend the firing of the heavy gun. Journalcd in the carriage 24 and adapted to turn about. its axis in such mounting is a pedestal 27, the upper portion of which is bifurcated, as indicated by 28 to receive the trunnions 29 at opposite sides of the heavy gun 30. It will also be '1 aeroplane is best shown in Figures 1 and 2 observed that I equip the heavy gun 30 with the usual means 31 for elevating and depressing the same, and that in conjunction with the pedestal 27, I provide ordinary or any other appropriate means 32, through the medium of which the pedestal may be manually turned about its vertical axis for the swinging of the gun about such axis independently of the movement of the platform about its axis which axis is preferably, though not necemarily, coincident withthat of the pedestal 27.

For the purpose of cushioning the carriage 24, I provide the means best shown in Figure 4. The said means comprises rods 90 fixed at their endsto the platform, and

on which the carriage 2-1 is guided, andsprings 91 mounted on said rods and interposed between opposite sides of the carriage 24 and'suitable abutments 92 at the opposite ends of the rods mentioned.

The station of the crew complementary to the gun is on the platform 6, and in order to adequately protect the said crew against enemy gunfire, I provide the shield'33 which is preferably circular in outline and is formed by'a frame and. sheathing of aluminum or other metal or allo compatible with the purpose of the invention.

The location of the propellers 34 of the and in this connection I would say that I prefer to employ in conjunction with the propellers the well known Liberty motors.

Carried by the aeroplane in a planebelow the house 2 and the platform 6, and preferably on the lowermost wing 44) is a plurality of spaced machine guns which are arranged in a transverse battery and are designed to be attended by the usual crews.

' For the protection of these crews against It will be apparent from the foregoingthat I have provided an armed aeroplane Which while formidable as a War engine because of its armanent and the facility with which such armanent may be employed without undue exposure of the crews,- is simple and inexpensive in construction, and is capable of developing and maintaining as high a rate of speed as other aeroplane of corresponding size and weight.

Havin described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, 1s:-

The combination in an aeroplane, of a fuselage, a series of wings connected therewithiand arranged one above the other, a skeleton frame superimposed on the fuselage in front of the wings, a circular track fixed on said frame, a fixed arcuate rack arranged within and in spaced relation to the track, a pivoted platform having anti-frie tion means bearing on the track, rails in parallelism on said platform, a gun carriage movable rectilinearl on said rails, means to hold the gun carriage to the rails, guide rods for the carriage fixed at their ends to the platform and having abutments at their ends, coiled springs mounted on said guide rods and interposed between the ends of the carriage and the abutments, and means on the platform and arranged to cooperate with the rack for the swinging of the platform about its axis; the sald means for holding the gun carriage to the rails including antifriction wheels disposed below the rails and having circumferential grooves receiving the rails, and'anti-fr'iction wheels disposed above the rails and having circumferential grooves receiving the same.

In testlmony whereof I affix my signature.

SALVATORE MOTTA. 

